1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to chiropractic and massage tables.
2. Prior Art
Chiropractic therapy is a system of treating aliments by manipulating various body structures, but primarily the spine. The manipulation may be done by hand or by motorized manipulation devices. Typical machines knead the body with rollers, shake the body with vibrators, or push the body with reciprocating adjustment devices. Some machines are hand-held, and some are built into tables.
A typical hand-held machine called an adjuster is sold under the trademark xe2x80x9cARTHROSTIMxe2x80x9d by IMPAC Inc. of Salem, Oreg. It is comprised of a stylus or tip attached to a motor for delivering linear thrusts in rapid petition to the treatment area. The travel distance of the tip is adjustable by turning a knob. Interchangeable tips are provided, including a forked tip. Another type of hand-held machine called a percussion instrument is sold under the trademark xe2x80x9cVIBRACUSSORxe2x80x9d by IMPAC Inc. It is comprised of a broad head attached to a motor for applying vibrations to the treatment area. Although economical to purchase, hand-held devices are tedious to use. They are also expensive to operate because they require the doctor or therapist to spend a great deal of time to personally operate them. Further, it is difficult for the practitioner to hold the device at the proper angle to the treatment area for optimal effect.
Some table-mounted adjustment devices are driven to move along the table for applying therapy to different parts of the body. An example shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,475 to Steffensmeier. However, prior art tables are flat and cannot properly support the curved spine of a patient who is lying supine or face up. Also, table-mounted spinal manipulation devices cannot properly follow the curvature of the spine to apply the treatment with equal force to different parts of the spine.
The objectives of the present spinal treatment table are: to evenly support the curvature of the spine of a patient who is lying supine; to be adjustable for evenly supporting the spine within a wide range of spinal lengths; and to automatically and evenly apply therapeutic treatment along the length of the spine.
Further objectives of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description.
A spinal treatment table includes a head support, a leg support, and a contoured spinal support there between defined by separate support segments of different heights. The segments are supported within a frame and connected by a scissors hinge. A first end segment is anchored to the frame, and the other segments are movable longitudinally within the frame. A linear drive is connected to a second end segment. All the segments are moved by the same amount relative to adjacent segments whenever the second end segment is moved by the linear drive to adjust the length of the spinal support for supporting spines of different lengths. A spinal manipulation device is movable within a longitudinal slot in the spinal support for evenly applying therapy to the length of the spine. The spinal manipulation device may be a reciprocating device, a roller device, or a water jet device.